


A bit arson never hurt no- oh

by magical_octopus333



Series: Evil (?) Dakota [2]
Category: Milo Murphy's Law
Genre: Arson, Blood, But can be stand alone, Character Death, Death, Gen, M/M, fits into my 'stories from Dakota island' thread, gun - Freeform, possible way the island came around/bg for Leader Dakota, sorry - Freeform, written at 2 am so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:27:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24890815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magical_octopus333/pseuds/magical_octopus333
Summary: Dakota was running, laughing, hearing Cavendish right behind him doing the same as they rounded a corner. They were going to just make it, but damn they were going to make it! Their mission- a success! It was just a bit of arson- what could possibly go wrong?
Relationships: Balthazar Cavendish & Vinnie Dakota
Series: Evil (?) Dakota [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1185125
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	A bit arson never hurt no- oh

Dakota was running, laughing, hearing Cavendish right behind him doing the same as they rounded a corner. They were going to just make it, but damn they were going to make it! Their mission- a success! 

He’d been a bit surprised when they’d gotten the mission brief as a file instead of actually being spoken to, but it wasn’t too hard a mission. Set up a building to catch fire, destroying the documents for yadda yadda, Dakota wasn’t paying much attention really. It's not like Cavendish told him much, having read it and gotten so excited.

They were slowly rising in the ranks, Cavendish said. It was a higher stakes mission, so of course corporate was approving of them. A little arson for whatever reason, meant more cash for grub in Dakota’s mind. Not to mention Cav, going crazy for the high of glory. 

Dakota usually hated running, but the adrenaline pumping through his veins made him feel deliciously delirious, his smile coming through his panting breath as he crashed into the car, throwing himself onto the hood of the car. He leaned, practically laying atop the hood catching his breath. 

“You… ya’ think running for our lives ‘s gonna be a theme, Cav?” Dakota said, more panted out, trying not to laugh. He pushed off the car, turning to Cavendish… who wasn’t there. 

He turned and looked around, but his partner wasn’t there. Cavendish wasn’t there. Dakota found his breath still hard coming out, but not from the exertion. He heard yelling from inside the building. Cavendish

He didn’t even think about it. He ran, ran into the building that was starting to smell of gasoline, because that was Cavendish screaming, yelling. 

He rounded that corner to see a man standing over Cavendish, saying something to Cavendish. Dakota ducked back without thinking and stayed quiet. He barely breathed when the gunshot rang out, and that man ran past him. Black mask, all black clothes, but pale skin between the gaps. Then he was gone, and the smell of smoke rose into the air. 

The black plumes did nothing to stop Dakota from going deeper in, finding Cavendish lying on the ground, not moving. The taller man had one hand on his stomach, the other thrown out. Eyes seemed glazed over, but moved to look at Dakota. 

He fell to his knees, pulling his partner into his lap, holding his friend close as he looked down at those absent eyes. He felt like he’d fall apart, but he was deadly still as he held Cavendish close. 

“Cavendish…” he croaked, still in shock. ‘ _Gun shot wound, abdomen’_ his brain supplied. ‘ _Likelihood of survival.._.’ He shook his head, as if it’d stop that thought. 

“Come on, I know you can hear me, Cav. “ Dakota felt the tears building behind his glasses as Cavendish turned his head toward him, blinking slowly. 

“D… Dakota…” Cavendish spoke, cutting himself off with a cough. His breath came in shakingly, his lips red with blood. Dakota just stared, stared at the blood and gripped Cavendish even tighter. 

“Smoke… smoking is bad, D-dakota….” Cavendish said, his unbloodied hand pointing to the smoke slowly gathering above their heads, black and reeking of gasoline. The building started crackling around them, but Dakota was curled around Cavendish, clinging to him. 

His eyes looked clearer the more he stared at Dakota, but his breath was still ragged, taking more and more energy away from him. He grabbed Dakota, forcing the shorter man to look at him through his glasses. Even through the dark shades, the tears in his eyes were unmistakable. 

“Dakota… run…” Cavendish began, grasping tightly to the other’s arm. He pushed Dakota away weakly, trying to pull away all together. “We both know-”  
“No we don’t!”, Dakota spat, shaking as his tears hit Cavendish’s face. “Don’t you dare tell me to abandon you, you asshole, you fucking…” 

He pulled Cavendish closer, closer, burying his head into the hair atop his hair, a pale red still, and breathed him in. As if memorizing it in case…

Dakota pulled a small device out of his pocket. That man had forced Cavendish too deep into the building, too far from the way out, for Dakota to carry him out. And Dakota never went anywhere without a backup plan. 

He slammed it into the ground, a blue light starting to light up among the smoke as Dakota curled closer to Cavendish, tighter and tighter. One hand on the device as it began to shriek, the other buried into the fabric of Cavendish’s clothes. He closed his eyes tight

The sense of weightlessness that came with teleportation was something he’d never get used to. A device stolen from his timeline, probably worth a fortune but like Dakota would ever give it away. Maybe it was selfish. But as the light dimmed out and he found himself kneeling on the cold asphalt outside the crumbling building, he didn’t give a damn. 

Cavendish was cold in his arms, turning colder by the second. Still shaking, but no life was in those pale, blue eyes as they glazed over. Dakota held onto him until his last breath came and left. He held him until the sun started coming up, the building a smoldering wreck. 

In the end, it wasn’t a hard decision. He went back to before they’d gotten their report, and hacked the machine. Changed the mission. Something simple. Let the innocent Dakota take his Cavendish, to watch the building instead of setting it ablaze. That, he took care of. 

His clothes with Cavendish’s blood- his Cav’s blood- was used as the kindling. And when Dakota found the man in black, he was taken care of as well. He teleported out, landing right outside before running into the trees by the building. 

He sat in the grass in the trees, hidden from view as he watched the building crumble. Looking to where he hid his version of their vehicle, sooty and with a body decaying in the back. 

“This is the most ridiculous mission!” Cavendish screamed inside their time vehicle. Dakota pulled his binoculars down to give Cavendish a look. A look Cavendish ignored in favor of ranting on. 

“Watching a building burn down? What's next, paint drying?” He huffed, looking to Dakota curiously. “And why are you watching so intently?”

“Watching embers. They rise up and eventually burn out, and I watch them to see how far they go. I know, I know, boring as hell” Dakota waved his hand at his sputtering partner. “But it's better than just sitting around, eh?”

Cavendish shrugged, letting Dakota return to his watching. But a flash of blue light distracted him from his ember watching. A figure burst from it and dashed into the forest and Dakota’s heart raced. Those hadn’t came into this timeline yet. Which meant…

“Where are you going?” Cavendish complained, giving him a look of curiosity and annoyance. 

“Going to take a piss- why, want to come?” Dakota replied smoothly, ignoring the fear tightening in his stomach. 

“That's disgust- No!” Cavendish shrieked, turning seven shades of red “What on earth- You’re disgusting Dakota!”

“You asked!” Dakota called as he did a slight jog into the bit of woods by the building. He smiled as he heard his partner’s continued ranting and shrieking from the car, before he turned serious further into the trees. 

“You know,” a voice said calmly from his spot leaning against a tree. “It's a crime to cross back into your own timeline”

Dakota looked into his own eyes before he relaxed. The younger him regarded him carefully, looking him up and down. 

“So, whose blood is on your glasses?” 

They buried the body behind the building and set the time vehicle ablaze above the makeshift grave. Cavendish didn’t know the smell of burning time fuel or flesh, but wouldn’t have smelled it over the gasoline blaze. At least, that's what the two Dakota’s hoped. 

The younger Dakota dropped Cavendish off at their motel room, saying he was going to grab some breakfast. Cavendish, too tired to complain or tell him off, waved him off before falling face-first into the mattress. Dakota just stared at him absently before leaving, locking the door behind him. 

He picked up the other Dakota up from the parking lot of the smoldering building, the dawn barely lighting the world. The bloodied Dakota didn’t look at him as he got into the passenger seat, just letting the other drive them away. 

“There can’t be two Dakotas... “ the one started, staring at his bloodied self. They were parked in a hidden clearing, part of the forest a ways away from what was a building. The sun had climbed a bit further into the sky, but not enough to be able to see them this deep into the trees. 

“No, there can’t be two of us…” bloodied Dakota replied, pulling his glasses off his face. “and I don’t think I can look at Cavendish and not…” He shuddered and the younger didn’t press. He’d seen the body. 

“Why…”

“Why’d I save him?” his bloodied self asked, his eyebrows drawing together as he stared at the other behind the wheel. 

“No, no… I think I’d do the same, I mean-” 

“I know… Why’d it happen…” The other pulled out a cigarette from a pack, lighting it up. He pulled a puff before replying through a cloud. “Don’t know. Some asshole shot him. Didn’t know, didn’t care. He’s gone now, ‘course. Made good kindling.” 

Wordlessly, he offered it to the younger. He pushed it away. Shrugging, the bloodied Dakota took it back for another drag. 

“Do you have something I can use to-”

“No.” The younger replied quickly, shaken. “Didn’t keep weapons- anything from the timeline…”

“ ‘Cept the lil' teleporter, I know. Just thought I’d ask.” They lapsed into silence, the bloodied man numbly staring into the forest. “I could climb a tree and-”

“Do you think this’ll happen again?”, the younger asked quickly. The bloodied Dakota kept staring into the trees. “Cavendish wants to be a hero. Graceful as newborn deer… I don’t want my Cav…”

“To end up like mine…” the other finished easily. Another breath of smoke, dark like from the building. Silence reigned again. 

“I’ll find somewhere we can hide then”, the bloodied Dakota spoke, leaning back into his chair with a sigh. “Live ‘till I can find us somewhere to go, huh?”

  
  


“Leader Dakota! Leader Dakota!” 

Leader Dakota looked up from his notebook as a Dakota came running into his hut. Young one, some food based nickname if he recalled correctly. 

“What is it?”

“Cavendish and Mainland Dakota are here!”

The notebook fell, and before Leader Dakota knew it he was running and running. 


End file.
